The Smith family were murdered on July 4,  2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Lora Smith, [left] was raped by 19-year-old shepherd Malkhaz Kobauri after he shot her husband Ryan and her son Caleb, 4, dead with a hunting rifle

A shepherd has been found guilty of raping an American woman who saw him shoot dead her husband and son, last summer.

On July 4, 2018, Malkhaz Kobauri first shot dead her 43-year-old Ryan Smith and his four year old son, Caleb. He then killed Lora Smith, 42, forcing her at gunpoint over a cliff near Tbilisi, in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Kobauri, 19, was sentenced to life in prison by a court in the city of Gori after a jury took four hours to pronounce him guilty.
Prosecutors claimed that his motive for murder was his desire to rape the woman.

Depraved killer: Malkhaz Kobauri [photo], was sentenced to life in prison by a court in the city of Gori for the rape and murder of Lora Smith, as well as, the murder of her husband and son, Ryan and Caleb Smith 

Prosecutors claimed that Kobauri whose motive for murder was his desire to rape Lara Smith, [Left], first shot her husband Ryan [right] and the couple’s four-year-old son Caleb.

The killer was acting as a guide when the Smith family visited a scenic waterfall near Tbilisi in Georgia where the family lived  

The Smith family were murdered on July 4 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Lora, 42, was raped by 19-year-old shepherd Malkhaz Kobauri after he shot dead Ryan, 43 and Caleb, four with a hunting rifle.
The killer had logged onto pornographic websites before staging his attack on the family last summer, according to evidence.
The FBI was involved in investigating the case against Kobauri who attacked Ryan and Lora Smith and their son Celeb when they visited a scenic waterfall in Georgia where the family lived.

The shepherd shot the 43-year-old husband in the back and face. Next he gunned down the child.
Lora Smith’s body was discovered two days later on July 6 by a Georgian emergency response group next to a waterfall in the Khada gorge.

Guide turned killer Malkhaz Kobauri, 19, listens to his sentence in court after a jury found him guilty in four hours. The judge handed down a life sentence for the triple homicide after his insanity plea was thrown out

The following day investigators recovered Ryan’s body, but Caleb was not found for three days.
The teenage shepherd, Malkhaz Kobauri, confessed to the killings and led police to Caleb’s body, police said.
A psychiatric examination repudiated claims bythe defense that  Kobauri was not fit to stand trial by reason of diminished mental health capacity.
The 19-year-old was found guilty of raping Lara Smith despite defense claims that the defendant was incapable of having sex and was a virgin.
Prior to the incident, Malkhaz Kobauri had been visiting pornographic websites, which underlines his interest in this regard,’ said prosecutor David Kazarashvili at trial.

The body Caleb Smith, 4, was recovered six days after he was killed in attack on his family, in the Khada Gorge

Tests found the shepherd’s DNA was in the body of the victim and on her underwear, said reports citing law enforcement.
The convicted man’s mother Mariam Martiashvili claimed her son was forced to confess. A court video shows her furious at the guilty verdict against her son.

As she was led out of the courtroom she screamed: ‘I don’t want to live anymore’.
During the trial Kobauri recanted an earlier confession and offered a new theory instead: ‘I didn’t kill. Two strangers did it.
‘They killed these people, and they told me not to tell anyone, otherwise my mother and my father would be killed.’

Ryan Smith [left], originally from California, and his wife Lora moved to Tbilisi 10 years ago to run a carpet weaving business called ReWoven

ReWoven, the company founded by Ryan Smith [photo], creates traditional, handcrafted Azerbaijani woven carpets

Prosecutor Zaza Datukishvili told journalists: ‘A brutal crime was committed – three people were killed, including a child.
‘The crime motive is unforgivable – it was committed for the rape of a woman.
‘The only adequate punishment in this case is unlimited imprisonment. In this case it is the only fair decision.’
‘The evidence did not leave room for doubt. The family members of the Smiths support the life sentence. It was a fair trial and a fair sentence.’
The Smiths were ‘well respected’ members of the local and expatriate community and had joint US and Georgian citizenship.
Ryan Smith, originally from San Diego, California, and Lora Smith had been living in Georgia’s eastern Marneuli city for more than ten years.
They ran a business called ReWoven founded by Ryan, which produces traditional Azerbaijani rugs. Each carpet costs more than $1,000, with a worldwide distributorship.
US Consul in Georgia Janet Reber said: ‘We were closely watching this case, we had communication with the victims’ family.

The company uses traditional methods of centuries past which have ‘all but vanished’.
According to its website, it hopes to maximize the benefits for ‘weavers and their community today’ and ensure the tradition continues.
Ryan left the US for Azerbaijan in 2002 because of his ‘passion for travel and a love for people of other cultures’.
While living in the capital of Baku he started working in the rug market and was inspired to start his own weaving business.
Ryan left Azerbaijan in December 2005 and came back to the US where he met and married his wife.

Lora who had been a teacher in Washington state and later worked as an English teacher through a Georgian government program, while Ryan  started a handcrafted Azerbaijani carpet business that sold rugs all over the world.
They were ‘well respected’ members of the local and expat community, having lived in the Marneuli region of eastern Georgia for around seven years. They received Georgian citizenship in 2012.